Summer Work

I have yet to figure out why (in the best part of summer) we do this to ourselves...
We've started our 2010 summer house project.  We're going to level the floor of our basement.  This is the first step toward improving the basement to livable space.  So far we've been doing preliminary work:

• chip away delaminated sealant from the concrete walls
• clean up exposed concrete to receive new concrete filler and a fresh coat of sealant
• survey (elevation measurements) the concrete floor
• check the floor drain to be sure it actually works (it does)

Our plan is to lure Ralph up for a weekend and have everything ready to start construction.  We will use treated lumber as tapered joist strips that will be covered with a vapor barrier and plywood sheathing.  The most difficult part (for which I will be extremely glad to have help) will be trimming the joist strips to match the existing floor contours.  Once they are prepared, it's only a matter of nailing them down and then screwing the sheathing on top.

The long-term plan is to frame in the laundery area, insulate and sheetrock the walls, carpet the floor and stairs, create an egress window, and move the playroom downstairs.  Before any of the other can be done (except the egress window) the floor has to be ready.  And so it begins. 

*Pictures to come.